Legal Investigation: Is CBS.com Sharing Users’ Private Data with Facebook?

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org want to hear from people with CBS accounts who watched videos on CBS.com.

Specifically, they have reason to believe that Paramount Global Corp., the owner of CBS, may have utilized a tracking tool called the Meta pixel on CBS.com to collect data about accountholders – such as the videos they’ve watched and certain identifying information – and secretly shared it with Facebook.

The attorneys are looking into whether Paramount violated the federal Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), which provides that consumers whose information was disclosed without their consent could be owed up to $2,500.

How Could Paramount Be Violating CBS Subscribers’ Privacy?

There’s reason to believe that Paramount may be using a tracking tool called the Meta pixel on CBS.com to collect data about its users and share the information with Facebook for advertising purposes.

The Meta pixel, which is invisible to users, can be programmed to track certain actions people take on a website, such as the videos they view, and collect information about them, such as their Facebook IDs, which are unique identifiers that can be used to locate individual Facebook profiles.

The attorneys are investigating whether Paramount’s suspected use of the Meta pixel violates a federal law called the Video Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits “video tape service providers” from disclosing information about the video materials a person has watched or requested without first obtaining their consent.

Is This a Lawsuit? What’s Mass Arbitration?

Unlike a class action lawsuit, mass arbitration takes place outside of court and leverages a type of alternative dispute resolution called arbitration.

Although one lawsuit was already filed against Paramount over its alleged use of the Meta pixel on CBS.com, the website’s terms of use require consumers to resolve disputes through arbitration instead, which involves an independent arbitrator, instead of a judge or jury, deciding on a matter. For this reason, the attorneys working with ClassAction.org have decided to pursue a new legal strategy called mass arbitration, an explanation of which can be found on our blog:

[M]ass arbitration occurs when hundreds or thousands of consumers file individual arbitration claims against the same company over the same issue at the same time. The aim of a mass arbitration proceeding is to grant relief on a large scale (similar to a class action lawsuit) for those who sign up.”

How Much Could I Get if I Sign Up?

There’s no guarantee of how much you will receive or even if your claim will be successful, but the Video Privacy Protection Act provides that consumers could be awarded damages of as much as $2,500 if their information was improperly disclosed.

How Much Does This Cost?

It costs nothing to sign up, and the attorneys will only be paid if they win your claim. Their payment will come as a percentage of your award.

If they don’t win, you don’t pay.

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